Catholic Churches of NCC includes: Saint Patrick Parish Seneca WI; Saint Philip Parish Rolling Ground WI; Saint Mary Parish Gays Mills WI; St James Cemetery Rising Sun WI; Kneeland Cemetery Seneca WI catholicchurchesofncc.com

Sunday, March 22, 2026

5^th Sunday in Lent

St. Mary, St. Patrick, St. Philip Parishes:  Mailing address for all three parishes:  PO Box 35, Seneca WI 54654

Website: https://www.catholicchurchesofncc.com

Confessions: Normally, 30 minutes before every Mass and by appointment.

Normal Monthly Eucharistic Adoration:

St. Patrick: First Friday after the 8:30 AM Mass

St. Philip: First Sunday after the 10:30 AM Mass

Mass Intentions This Week

Pastor: Fr. Tom Huff – Rectory 608-734-3252 email: frtomhuff@gmail.com

Bookkeeper, Bulletin, Mass Intentions, Membership: Kevin Murray 608-391-0434 or 608-734-3931

email: secretary@ncc.diolcparish.org

New Bulletin Information Deadline: Mondays at 6:00 PM. Bulletin is posted on our website.

UPCOMING PARISH EVENTS

Tri-Parish Adult Faith Study

Adult Faith Sessions will not be held during the Lenten Season. Sessions at Saint Mary's Church Hall will resume on Wednesday, April 8, 2026 at 7:00 PM. Please take advantage of these informational learning sessions and join us!

St. Philip Announcements:

St. Philip Candles: Contact Bonnie Murphy. The cost is $5 per candle.

Food Pantry items are needed. Please leave any gift at the rear of the Church.

The St. Philip’s PCCW is sponsoring a service project to support Passages in Richland Center and Door of Hope in Viroqua. Door of Hope supports new moms and babies. Things they could use include diapers, baby blankets and baby clothing. Passages is an organization that gives support to women and families who find themselves in difficult situations and need a safe place to stay and, if necessary, help to start over. Items that are needed include:

Women’s underwear (S, M or L) Women’s and Men’s Deodorant

Baking Mixes (for baking with kids) Blankets

Baking Utensils and kitchen Supplies Dinnerware or Pots & Pans or Silverware

Please bring your items to St. Philip’s Church and place either in the back to church or in the basement. Please label which organization you would like to donate to. Cash donations and checks can be made out to St. Philip’s PCCW and we will issue one check or purchase items to donate. For questions and donating money, please contact Bonnie Murphy, Peggy Schmitt, Amy Murphy or Donna Bell. Thank you for your donations.

St. Mary Announcements:

Rosary – 30 minutes before Mass

First Sunday Potluck Brunch after Mass each first Sunday of the month. All are welcome, dish to share is appreciated, but not required. There will be no Potluck Brunch on Easter Sunday April 5^th. Next potluck is Sunday, May 2^nd.

Saint Mary’s is open 7:00am – 7:00pm daily. Please feel free to come and pray and light a candle if you would like.Food Pantry Donations can be left in the basket in the rear of the Church.

St. Patrick Announcements:

The St Patrick's Decorating Group would like to once again invite church members the opportunity to purchase an Easter Lily or Daffodil flower in Memory/Honor of loved ones. Your offer of $20 is a special way to acknowledge and help support our mission of enhancing the beauty of our Easter Celebration here at St. Patrick's. Someone will be available for the next two weekends to assist in this mission! You can also call Marilyn Palmer, 608-306-3920, Nancy Ostrander, 608-874-4900, Priscilla Kelley, 608-874-4232 or Linda Monehen, 608-874-4430.

Thank you! St. Patrick's Decorating Group

Tri-Parish Announcements:

Lenten Stations of the Cross and Soup Supper will be held on all Wednesdays of Lent at St. Mary at 6:00 pm. The soup supper will follow the service in the Church Hall. All are welcome.

Other Announcements:

The Weekly Bulletin is available on our parishes website, this is the link to the bulletin page, updated every Friday: https://www.catholicchurchesofncc.com/bulletins

ANNUAL APPEAL REMINDER: One of the sacrifices we are asked to make during our Lenten Season is that of almsgiving. Jesus has given us this call to serve, especially the poor. The Catholic Charities House of Mercy, which offers shelter, safety and hope for the homeless, mostly women and children, is one of the many beneficiaries of the Annual Appeal and your pledge dollars. Please consider making this Lenten almsgiving pledge to our Annual Appeal. The pledge cards are at the back of the church. Our Lord asks for your generosity but, no matter how large or small, it will please Him! God Bless!

Lenten regulations are as follows:

1. Catholics who have celebrated their 14th birthday are to abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday, all Fridays in Lent and Good Friday.

2. In addition to abstaining from meat, Catholics who have celebrated their 18th birthday, until they celebrate their 59th birthday, are to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. Those who are bound to this regulation may eat only one full meal. Two smaller meals are permitted if necessary to maintain strength according to one’s needs but eating solid foods between meals is not permitted.

MARRIED COUPLE RETREAT: Domestic Church helps spouses discover the purpose for their marriage and offers them growth in love and holiness together. Domestic Church has blessed our marriage significantly and we want to share the benefits of the movement with your parish.

We still have room at this retreat for couples from your parish. We begin the retreat at 8am on Saturday at the Franciscan Spirituality Center in Lacrosse and end on Sunday before 4pm. The cost of the retreat is $200. Scholarships are available for those who need them. Jeff and I are the retreat leaders.

Tri-Parish Prayer List – We want to pray for the ill and others in our parishes who need ongoing prayer. To be placed on or to place someone on our prayer list, please call: Sue Peterson 608-735-4865, Bonnie Murphy 608-386-4954, or Ica Boylen 608-734-3287.

Income from Last Week

DIVINE MERCY IN MY SOUL - St. Faustina writes: “I entered into the sufferings which Jesus underwent in the Garden of Olives…The Lord pressed me to His Heart and said, ‘I shall give you a small portion of My Passion.’ … Together with Him, I underwent in a special way, all the various tortures. The world still has no idea of all that Jesus suffered. I accompanied Him to the Garden of Gethsemane…I came to know all the omnipotence of His love and of His mercy toward souls. (Diary, 646,1053-1054)

From the Priest’s Corner: Dead Lazarus Encounters New Life

Have you ever thought, “if only I could go back in time and do or undo this or say or unsay that?” Perhaps everyone is haunted by regrets of their past. Martha and Mary felt that Jesus could have done something for their brother. They reminded Jesus: If only you had been here our brother would not have died!"

However, Jesus has no plans of undoing time. As God, Jesus knows all things and plans accordingly, so as to even bring good out of evil. As things unfold, Our Lord deals with what is, and not what might have been. Some people live in the past, haunted by the regrets of their past. They are like a person driving a car, constantly looking in the rear-view mirror. The raising of Lazarus is a story of Our Lord, teaching us to live in the here and now and not to live in the past.

Lazarus was dead and his body was already decomposing. Yet, it is never too late for our Lord to revive and revitalize that which is dead. And to affect this miracle, Jesus issues three commands.

The first: “Roll away the stone!" Who had placed this huge stone in tomb entrance? People did! And now Jesus was telling them to roll it away! How many huge stones have you and I placed as obstacles between ourselves and others, between ourselves and God and between us and doing God's will? Are we brave enough to roll these stones away? Or do we want to continue living in the past?

The second command Jesus gives is: “Lazarus, come out!” And the dead man came out! Not only do we need to roll away the obstacles to God, but we also need to move forward with our lives, even if we are still somewhat bound by our weaknesses and sins. However, without a desire on our part to move forward in our lives as a morally good Christian, we will remain rotting away in the tomb of past regrets. The key is that we are willing to move forward in our relationships with others and with God by the faithful practice of our Catholic faith, even if at first it means just crawling.

The third command Jesus gives: “Unbind him, and let him go!” Even though Lazarus could crawl out of the tomb, there was no way he could unbind himself. He needed others to help him. We too are called to help free people who are bound by hopelessness, in the bondage of sinful habits or darkness of mind.

Jesus is always ready to bring those dead in sin back to life. He himself said, “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly!” Are we ready to roll away the stones that stand between us and the healing touch of God? Are we ready to take the first steps in coming out of an unhealthy place of darkness and sin? Are we ready to help unbind others, so that they may begin to experience a new freedom in life? Saint Lazarus, pray for us

Fulton J. Sheen Prayer Request

Eternal Father, You alone grant us every blessing in Heaven and on earth, through the redemptive mission of Your Divine Son, Jesus Christ, and by the working of the Holy Spirit.

If it be according to Your Will, glorify Your servant, Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, by granting the favor I now request through his prayerful intercession:

The miraculous healing of Conner Murray

I make this prayer confidently through Jesus Christ, Our Lord. Amen.

Imprimatur: +Most Reverend Daniel R. Jenky, C.S.C., Bishop of Peoria